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Putting People First / September 20, 1993
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PEOPLE'S BULLETIN
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     News and notices in the struggle against animal rights and eco-
     extremists

@1993 Putting People First
Permission to reproduce all or part of
an item id freely granted on the condition
that credit s given to Putting People First.

Putting People First is a nonprofit organization
of citizens who believe in rights for humans and
welfare for animals, and who oppose the goals and
tactics of "animal rights" and environmental extremism.

4401 Connecticut Avenue N.W.
Suite 310-A
Washington, D.C. 20008-2322
[phone]   fax [phone]
======================================================================

CLINTON PRAISES HUNTERS AND ANGLERS

     President Bill Clinton praised hunters and anglers Saturday for
helping to launch the conservation movement in America and for
preserving our nation's wildlife and environment.

     "Many sportsmen contribute significantly to our nation's
conservation efforts," said Clinton.  "Many species of American wildlife
have made an amazing recovery, thanks to the efforts of our hunters and
anglers."

     The President's remarks were made in support of National Hunting
and Fishing (NHF) Day, September 25, 1993.  Congress established NHF Day
to recognize hunters and anglers for their efforts to rescue wildlife
species, said Clinton.  Fifty state governors joined him by issuing
similar statements of support for NHF Day.

     According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the
primary sponsor of NHF Day, in 1992 the nation's 15 million hunting
license holders raised - through their purchases of hunting licenses,
tags, permits and stamps - $481 million for wildlife conservation
programs managed by the fish and game departments of each of the states.
In the same year, the nation's 31 million fishing license holders raised
$398 million for fish conservation programs.

     Hunters and fisherman are also important to the nation's economy.
According to a report by the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the
Bureau of Census, the nation's hunters and anglers contributed over $36
billion to the U. S. economy in 1991, supporting more than 908,000 jobs.

     This year's NHFDay theme is "Put an Indoorsman in Your Shoes."  "If
every sportsman in the country observed NHF Day by introducing one non-
sportsman to hunting, fishing, shooting and conservation, the public's
understanding and appreciation of these American traditions would
increase significantly," said NSSF President Bob Delfay.


For more information contact:

Gary Kolesar
National Shooting Sports Foundation
203/426-1320.





CANADIAN ALF ARSONIST GOES FREE

     Darren Todd Thurston, a Canadian Animal Liberation Front terrorist
convicted of firebombing trucks at the Billingsgate fish company in
December 1991 and vandalizing and stealing 29 cats from the University
of Alberta in June 1992, got a suspended sentence on August 27.

     Thurston, a former skinhead, was arrested in possession of a loaded
rifle, a handgun, 150 rounds of ammunition, a gas mask, two training
grenades, two bayonets, and several how-to books on making bombs.

     Crown prosecutor Orest Tereniuk called Thurston a "terrorist" and
asked that he be sentenced to three years in jail.  But according to the
Edmonton Journal, Court of Queen's Bench Justice E.A. Marshall described
Thurston, 23, as a "dedicated young idealist."  He put Thurston on two
years probation and ordered him to pay damages of $26,725 to the
University and $47,000 to the fish company.




MIDWESTERN MEAT AND LIVESTOCK TARGETED

     The Coffee County Livestock & Feed Pig Market in Manchester,
Tennessee, has been hit by arsonists twice since late July, according to
a report by the Animal Industry Foundation (AIF).  In the first
incident, files were piled on the floor and set on fire.  "ALF" and
anti-meat graffiti were spray-painted on the walls and equipment.  Two
weeks later, more fires were set in the yard, inflicting an estimated
$100,000 in damages.  No one has claimed responsibility for the
incidents, which appear to be unrelated.  A former employee is being
sought for questioning in connection with the second fire.

     AIF also reports that the owners of a small meat processing company
in Ohio received a death threat on July 20.  The Ohio Farm Animal Care
Commission and AIF helped get the letter to local, state and federal
authorities.  An investigation is ongoing.  Details are being withheld
to protect the company, says AIF.


For more information contact:

Steve Kopperud
Animal Industry Foundation
P. 0. Box 9522
Arlington, VA 22209-0522

or call 703/524-0810



ANIMAL RIGHTS ATTACKS PRODUCE NEW LAWS

     The Department of Justice and USDA have issued a joint "Report to
Congress on Animal Rights Terrorism."  The 32-page report found that
animal activists are "willing to inflict large-scale damage or
destruction on behalf of their cause.  All extremist animal rights
groups are believed to be associated with each other by leadership,
membership, or both."

     On September 14, following a rash of harassment, death threats, and
bomb scares against researchers in the Washington suburbs of Montgomery
County, Maryland, the County Council passed an anti-"stalking" law to
protect private homes.

     Council member Gail Ewings introduced the bill in 1991 in response
to protests organized by Susan Rich, formerly of PeTA and now with In
Defense of Animals.  While working for the law's passage, Putting People
First organized a letter writing campaign to lend moral support to a
handicapped woman whose home was targeted by Rich.

     The law is modeled on a Wisconsin law upheld by the U.S. Supreme
Court in 1988.  Rich promised, "As best we understand the law, we will
comply with it."

The same day the county law passed, U.S. Congressman George W. Gekas (R-
PA) introduced in Congress an amendment to the Animal Enterprise
Protection Act of 1992 (Public Law 102-346), which creates stiff federal
penalties for animal rights terrorism. Gekas' "Personal Protection
Amendment" would extend protection to cover individuals as well as
enterprises.

     Steve Kopperud of AIF suggested that Gekas' proposed "amendment is
not justified by existing statutory precedents.  Further, there are
several technical drafting errors in the amendment which may render it
unconstitutional."  However, the Congressional Research Service
disagreed, finding the amendment to be "clearly within Congress'
authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution."

For a copy of the Personal Protection Amendment or the "Report to
Congress on Animal Rights Terrorism," contact:

Americans for Medical Progress
Crystal Square Three
1735 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 907
Arlington, VA 22202-3401

Or call [phone]



BEAR PROBLEMS ON THE RISE IN COLORADO

     In August, a black bear broke into a logger's trailer near Salida,
killing and eating the man, according to ecologist Alston Chase in the
New York Times.  Kathi Green of the Colorado Division of Wildlife
reports that this incident is just the tip of an emerging iceberg:  "We
have bear coming out of our ears.  Usually we don't get calls about
problem bears until late July.  This year we received our first in
April.  Now we are getting 25 a day."

     Thanks to Amendment 10, a referendum promoted last Fall in a $l
million media blitz by the Fund For Animals, the Rocky Mountain Humane
Society, and Wildlife 2000, Colorado had no spring bear hunt this year,
for the first time in 30 years.  The animal rights groups responsible
claim the ensuing bear explosion is a coincidence.


TNC THREATENS LAND OWNER

     Last May, Albert E. Pyott, director of The Nature Conservancy
(TNC), sent a letter to Dr. Dieter Kuhn, regarding Dr.Kuhn's land
bordering Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge.  Pyott has been
pressuring Dr. Kuhn and his neighbors to sell their land to TNC to
expand the refuge.  In his letter, Pyott warned Dr. Kuhn: "If your land
is not acquired through voluntary negotiation, we will recommend its
acquisition through condemnation."

     Dr. Kuhn's attorney sent a copy of the letter to his U. S.
Congressman, Glenn Poshard.  Congressman Poshard fired a letter off to
Pyott, saying, "I want to state in absolutely unmistakable terms that if
I ever again see or hear the Nature Conservancy or any other group use
the words "eminent domain" or "condemnation" to threaten private land
owners, I will do everything possible to rescind the federal
appropriations which support this [Cypress Creek National Wildlife
Refuge] project."

     TNC was implicated in financial irregularities in a June 5, 1992
audit of government land acquisitions by James R. Richards, Inspector
General of the Department of the Interior.  TNC claimed to obtain land
only from "willing sellers." Apparently, a landowner threatened with
condemnation is TNC's idea of a "willing seller."



SAY "THANK YOU" ON NATIONAL BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH DAY

     When Nora Rumpf learned that animal rights activists were attacking
biomedical researchers, she sent several "Thank You" cards to
researchers, including a photo of her son, whose life was saved through
techniques developed on animals.  From her efforts has grown project
Thank You Research, which seeks to send such cards to every researcher
in the country.

     In cooperation with the national patients' health advocacy group
incurably ill For Animal Research (iiFAR) and the American Diabetes
Association, Thank You Research is sponsoring a celebration of National
Biomedical Research Day on October 21, 1993, the birthday of Dr. Alfred
Nobel, for whom the Nobel Prizes are named.

     Thank You cards are available from iifar, which asks that all
completed cards be returned to iiFAR, for distribution by September 24,
1993.


For your "Thank You for Your Research" cards, contact:

incurably ill For Animal Research
P. 0. Box 27454
Lansing, MI 48909

Or call [phone]



AMERICANS BALANCE ENVIRONMENT AND COST

     When it comes to the environment vs the economy, more and more
Americans want solutions that weigh economic costs against environmental
interests, according to a report in the Baltimore Sun.

     The results of the second annual Times-Mirror Magazines Survey show
that 55 percent of Americans believe that cost should be considered
before policies of the 1972 Endangered Species Act are enforced, an
increase of 5 percent over the findings in the initial survey.

     The survey of 1,005 adults by The Roper Organization also found
that only 35 percent of Americans feel that all endangered species
should be protected regardless of the cost.

     The number of Americans who feel that environmental protection and
economic development can proceed hand-in-hand rose five points to 68
percent.

     Overall, the survey found that the overwhelming majority of people
support a conservation and not a preservation approach to environmental
protection.  Three-quarters of Americans feel that natural resources and
wildlife can be protected while also being used for economic and
people's benefit.

     "The public is becoming increasingly pragmatic in its stance on
environmental issues," Edward B. Keller, executive vice president of the
Roper Organization, is quoted as saying.

     "This is significant by both the public's adherence to a
conservationist philosophy and its belief that we can successfully
balance our  environmental and economic objectives," said Keller.
"Americans want environmental protection, but not at any cost."



ANIMAL RIGHTS BACKLASH MOUNTS

     Evidence is mounting that Americans are fed up with the radicalism
of animal rights.  In June, Jamie DePolo, vegetarian columnist for
Detroit's Metro Times, labeled ex-Beatle and PeTA booster Paul McCartney
"a vegenazi like Adolf Hitler."  "Love (or vegetables) isn't all you
need, it's tolerance," wrote DePolo.  "Tolerance for people's beliefs,
lifestyles, customs and eating practices."

     On the Fourth of July, Baltimore's Sun Magazine cover story on
barbecue drew a complaint from distraught animal rightist Marcia Raffel,
who found a photo of spare ribs to be "insensitive."  Every letter in
the ensuing issue was a rebuttal.  Samples: "Ms. Raffel obviously has a
problem if a picture of meat upsets her."  "What is it that makes this
minority group so intolerant, so righteous? Could it be the lack of
animal proteins that gives them this deficiency?"  "I think it is high
time that The Sun did an in-depth investigation into the animal rights
(not animal welfare) movement."

     On September 13, USA Today's "Voices Across the USA" column asked
people, "Do animal-rights activists go too far in trying to protect
animals?"  The respondents, aged 14 to 79, unanimously said "Yes!"
Some comments: "Activists have gone too far when they resort to
destroying property and that sort of thing."  "If animal-rights
activists threaten anyone's livelihood, whether it be a furrier or
someone who raises cattle, then yes, they're going too far."  "What are
they trying to prove by attacking human beings?"  "I think they need to
be as concerned about people as they are about animals."   "Some animal
rights activism has become a big fundraising business, and some
activists are motivated more by financial considerations
than by helping animals."

     According to pop-culture "trend spotter" Faith Popcorn, eating meat
and "buying furs" are now making a comeback, "and it will soon erupt big
time."  Ms. Popcorn, who predicted the rise of "Green" marketing a
decade ago, says Americans are really fed up with the '90s, "a decade
marked predominantly by fear and cutting back."   She adds: "We're mad
as hell."



SCHOOLS UPDATE

     The Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT) reports that a
16-year-old girl in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently held several
classmates hostage with a crossbow because she was distraught about the
ozone hole.  But, CFACT reports, all is not so bleak in U.S. high
schools.

     The theme for the 1993 national high school debate championship was
whether the U.S. should use trade sanctions to reduce pollution.  The
Chesterton, Indiana team won its fifth straight national title, after
the property rights group Stop Taking Property (STOP) gave the students
a copy of "Environmental Abuse of a Just Cause," a paper by Dr. Edward
Krug.  With it, Chesterton High reportedly "blew away" the competition.

     At the other end of the intellectual scale, the New England Anti-
Vivisection Society (NEAVS) is trying to get into schools with an animal
rights program for grades 3 and up, called "Living Earth Learning
Project."   Meanwhile People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (which
took over NEAVS) has failed to get access to midwestern elementary
schools for a similar programs, involving an activist in a carrot suit
telling kids to "eat your veggies, not your friends."  The Omaha World
Herald calls PeTA's message "propaganda, emotional quackery, and
indoctrination."  Parents in Des Moines are responding by holding a
barbecue.

     Antidotes are available: the Research for Health Charities Group
(RHCG) has published a new magazine-format book about biomedical
research for children aged 11 to 16, and a coalition of Kentucky farm
groups has published a booklet on agriculture called "Kentucky Farmers
Care."  The patients' organization Seriously Ill for Medical Research
calls the former "excellent," and the American Farm Bureau Federation
regards the latter as "an outstanding publication geared for the general
public."

Copies of the RHCG research book can be obtained for $5.25 each from

Seriously Ill for Medical Research
P. 0. Box 504
Houghton Regis
Dunstable, Bedfordshire, LU5 5Y
United Kingdom.

For copies of "Kentucky Farmers Care," contact the Kentucky Livestock
Improvement Association at [phone]




FLY-IN FOR FREEDOM

     Some 400 grassroots private property and multiple-use groups are
descending on Washington, D.C., September 18-20, for the 1993 Fly-In for
Freedom.  Highlights include the annual Alliance for America convention,
citizens lobbying of Congress and the Administration by state
delegations, and speakers, including Icelandic journalist Magnus
Gudmundsson, producer of the documentary "Survival in the High North,"
an expose of fraudulent Green attacks around the world.  The Fly-In will
culminate in a rally at the Capitol, starting at 5 PM, Monday, September
20.  There will be a concert featuring country singer Michael Martin
Murphy and special guests.


For more information, call [phone]



ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP FOUNDATION SEEKS VOLUNTEER

     The Environmental Stewardship Foundation (ESF) will provide free
living quarters and office expenses in Washington D.C. for an energetic
and dedicated volunteer who will donate his or her time working on
environmental issues.  ESF is a non-profit organization dedicated to a
healthy environment, but without sacrificing free enterprise,
responsible science, or private property rights.


Interested applicants who possess the necessary experience and skills to
fill this position should fax or mail a cover letter and resume to
Putting People First at 44Ol Connecticut Ave. N.W., Suite 3lO-A,
Washington D.C. 20008, fax [phone].



ARTIST ARRESTED FOR USING FEATHERS

     During the Ann Arbor Arts Fairs in July, federal wildlife agents
confiscated an oil painting by artist Judy Enright, saying she illegally
used blue jay feathers in it. Enright had collected the feathers from
her backyard.

     Federal regulations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
prohibit the collection and sale of the feathers of migratory birds for
ornamental and decorative use."  The penalty for felony conviction is
$2,000 and one year in prison.

     "The whole thing struck me as the dumbest thing I had heard in my
whole life," said Enright, a grandmother of three.  "They were very rude
and gave me a very hard time.  They threatened to take me away, handcuff
me and call the police."